What's Your Excuse?

If anyone has ever pledged then they are certainly familiar with the popular "Excuses" poem we had to memorize during our process. Although there are different variations of this poem, this is the one I learned during my process:
"Excuses are the tools of the weak and incompetent used to build momentums of nothingness. Those who excel in it seldom excel in anything else but excuses"
Why am I bringing this up? I have a little story to share.
The other day someone mentioned me in a FB post referencing the question on how to get abs. I replied by suggesting cutting the bad carbs and maintaining a clean diet, a cardio and weight training program, as well as a discipline and consistency. The post was made by a friend of mine who I know has been in the process of looking and feeling healthier and better.
Then one lady responded by suggesting that she quit her job and train for the rest of her life. Another made a comment followed by mine regarding healthy supplements she should look into, asking her why she should even bother and that she should be happy the way she is.
I tried very hard not to take the comments personal, especially that first one because after all, she did end the comment with an LOL. Sarcasm perhaps?

I'm a mother and that
will never change

But it had me wondering about the many excuses we implement and put in place in our lives in order to not meet a goal, exercising being one of the main things I hear people making excuses for. It also got me wondering why is it that us women keep that self-defeat attitude reaching a goal. It's okay to be happy in your own skin, yes. I would never advice or suggest any woman otherwise. But when we see a sistah working out hard, trying to feel and look better, why must we constantly put her down? Why is it that health and looking good cannot be a priority in our lives? Do we have to be celebrities, or quit our jobs in order to do so? I don't think so.

The problem with our society is that we've been taught from a very early age to be domesticated and be at home. Even those of us who have stepped outside the societal rules and got ourselves and education and a job are still forced to come home and be domestic.

I cook my tilapia in advance and take it
everywhere with me.

I challenge you to think outside these societal boundaries and boxes and meet your fitness goals and stop making lame excuses. No, you do not have to quit your job. I didn't. Not only did I meet my fitness goals, but I trained hard to get on stage and compete. When I first started embarking on my fitness goals, I had a job in Residence Life at a university that took a tremendous amount of time and energy, I was still attending graduate school, and I had 2 young children to look after and a home to care for.
Everything in life is doable as long as you put your mind to it. So if you sit here and tell me 100 excuses why you can't join a gym, get to a gym, make time to work out, eat healthy, I will not roll my eyes at your or judge you but I will wonder why you are making excuses.
Here are some suggestions and ideas that might be able to help you meet your fitness goals and with the excuses:
- Make time for yourself. If you make time to get your nails and hair done, or go shopping, or watch a few shows, then I most certainly think you can take 45 minutes to an hour of your time to get a good workout in.
- Get some photos of the body you want to achieve and tape it to the fridge, or anywhere you have access to in order to remind you of your goal. When I first started I used to carry a small training notebook and inside of it, I had a picture of Fitness Olympia Adela Garcia in it. I looked at it daily and it helped me remain focused.

You can get the body you want and
achieve whatever your fitness goal is
if you put your mind to it.

- Get creative and become resourceful, especially if you are a mom. One thing I have been gifted with is the ability to find solutions and ways to do things regardless of the obstacles. I think it comes from being a mother. I reached out to friends to help me watch my children for an hour while I worked out. Or I asked my partner to be more involved with household chores and the kids, etc. Figure out ways to make your hours and schedule more productive and inclusive of your healthy lifestyle. Be determined to get your body back.
- Do some research on your own at least to get started. Everything and anything you need to know is at your fingertips on the internet. Google is your best friend.
- Don't be afraid to miss out on life because of food! Although changing your diet will require some behaviors deemed as "odd" by your friends, your new healthy body will thank you for it. Changing your diet doesn't mean you have to miss out your social life...it just means you have to put a little more effort and thought into where you are going and how long you'll be there for. Always make your foods at home and take them with you. Make time for this. In cases where you eat out often, order grilled foods and healthier choices. You don't have to sit there with a boring ass salad! Girls...please! You can eat steak, salmon, white fish...you can order a burger and hold the extra condiments. And yes, every once in a while you can and SHOULD reward yourself by getting some cake or ice cream! NOT eating junk food won't kill you! Eating it will!
- Keep positive and supportive people around you. The people who lost the battle to getting a better looking and healthier body are the ones who will try to stop or hinder your own progress. Keep them at a distance. Surround yourself with the support system that will see you through your goals to fabulousness.
- Stop it. Really, I meant that. Stop the bullshit and get on it.Think about the kind of life you want to live and HOW you want to live it and the way you want to look while living it! Visualize it. If you are happy with things the way they are, ignore this entire blog post. If you are not, then start or continue the ball rolling. No one will do it for you. Mind over matter. Let's get to it!
If you have any questions or suggestions, as always, I'm open to it. Leave a comment! Hope this was in some ways a kick-ass for you to get it moving and stop making excuses!